The U.S. Senate Budget Committee has launched an investigation into alleged collusion between several domestic oil producers and the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) to fix and coordinate prices.
The committee, which is responsible for overseeing federal government spending, will be investigating the activities and communications of about 20 oil and gas producers, according to a statement released Friday.
The investigation was triggered by allegations last week by Democratic Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse that energy giants including Exxon Mobil, Chevron and ConocoPhillips, along with several smaller companies, were colluding with the Vienna-based policy agency.
The three major energy companies did not immediately respond to requests for comment, according to multiple U.S. news outlets.
Two other major companies, BP and Shell, declined to comment.
Other companies named in the statement were APA Corporation, Chesapeake Energy, Continental Resources, CrownQuest, Diamondback Energy, Endeavor, EOG Resources, Hess, Marathon, Occidental, Ovintive, Permian Resources and SM Energy.
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The committee’s chairman, Whitehouse, sent a letter to the companies demanding that they turn over all communications they have had with OPEC from January 1, 2020 to the present.
Whitehouse’s letter came just weeks after the Federal Trade Commission accused the former CEO of Pioneer Natural Resources Company of trying to collude with OPEC following the release of electronic messages.
Scott Sheffield denies all the allegations, but said the FTC did not allow him to explain or question him about the communications. His lawyers said the request was for information that was already publicly available.
The Senate said it would ask the 18 companies to explain any attempts to coordinate production policies with OPEC member states.
The Senate has requested the companies turn over communications between OPEC employees and representatives “relating to oil production volumes, crude oil prices, and the relationship between the production and prices of petroleum products from January 1, 2020 to the present.”
The committee also asked the companies to provide information about any exchanges they may have had with OPEC+ producers.
